


Iago's Deceit and Devotion

by Hailbilinski



Category: Othello - Shakespeare
Genre: Analysis, it's more like Iago loves Othello nbd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-04
Updated: 2014-12-04
Packaged: 2018-02-28 02:49:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2716130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hailbilinski/pseuds/Hailbilinski
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Othello truly is a story about jealousy, but seeing it only as that is binding. Othello should be seen as a play with many smaller themes factoring in, but the most prominent theme: Love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Iago's Deceit and Devotion

**Author's Note:**

> Because of my stubbornness, I refuse to believe that *the* central theme of Othello is jealousy. This is my (mediocre) analysis (totally not done in an hour and a half) of love as a theme and the extremes contrasting.
> 
>  
> 
> May I say that I am not a writer in any sense, but even this is quite low quality for my standards, seeing as it is all over the place, with no definite structure. It was more a release of thoughts and ideas on Othello, my brain creating insanely fast compared to the speed of which my hand could scribble this babbling out. It might be easy to tell I was very hyper (hence where my idea to write this even came from). And lastly, why am I posting it here? I have nowhere else to put it.
> 
> If anyone should stumble upon this (unlikely), I'm so, so sorry.

The first half of Othello showed us Iago, upset and madly jealous, effortlessly manipulating those around him. He often spoke what could be assumed to be his mind to the audience, malice in his tone. Although, it can and has been argued that Iago wishes not harm upon Othello and Cassio; he is overcome with greed and lust, a desire to be more than he feels he is (usefulness and otherwise), a desire to be the right-hand to the honorable Othello. His feelings conflict--what he says in private contrasts completely with what he says to each person he interacts with. He often proclaims his love for Othello (as well as Cassio), but will privately vilify and make his hatred for the two known to the audience. His soliloquy is important not only to the plot or determining his motives and plans for action, but also as a point of contrast against Othello's own soliloquy in the second half of the play.  
  
The second half of the play is a reversal of roles, as Othello begins speaking to the audience and his darker side comes out. Othello is ruthless in his decision that Desdemona must die for her sins and treachery, however may his hearty struggle leading up to her death be noted (afterwards, he seems remorseful for the fact that he 'had' to kill her, but remains sure that her death was just). He had felt the evil of the progressing unfortunate events and was directly influenced by that evil. What viewers had thought to be an honorable, kind man, we see has a dark and brutish nature when provoked (or betrayed, more specifically). Othello, you might say, becomes a kind of tragic anti-hero, manipulated by Iago to the point that he will not consider anything but what he believes to be facts laid before him. He thinks not of his love for Desdemona or hers for him, only that she must die for her betraying him. It truly masks itself as hatred, betrayal, and hurt, of course, until he realizes how bestial he acted, how he acted on his impulse rather than seeking more concrete fact, or just not killing his wife, which then prompts him to kill himself (surprise, surprise! murder-suicides in _Shakespeare_ ; I can hardly believe the man who wrote such a gracious love story that had such a happy ending as Romeo and Juliet would write of a man killing his wife and himself).  
  
I believe that we should not only recognize the themes of betrayal and jealousy which are strikingly obvious in the play, but we should analyze further, delve deeper into a topic of much importance to the play: the relationship between Iago and Othello. Be it their friendship itself, or the general relationship of the characters and what they stand for, how they are regarded in the play, what they experience, how they experience it, or even their individual motives, the relationship, teeming with stark contrasts and hidden similarities, is an extreme and is significant to any analysis of the work.

Let it be mentioned that in the simplest terms, Iago's goal is to become Lieutenant. It is in the play; it is what the audience is told what his motivation is. He does eventually achieve this goal, but he is still a most significant character in the story. Why? A simple answer could be that he remains one of the two main characters. With more analysis, why? Because he was created as a character to balance out Othello; he is the black to Othello's white (rather, the white to Othello's black?). He is jealousy where Othello is contentedness. He is manipulation and deceit where Othello is trust and honesty. At this extreme I would traverse so far in my analysis to say that perhaps his desire was not simply satiated by his lieutenancy, which would imply his desire had not been the lieutenant position. Now perhaps Iago is greedy, power-hungry, fearful of his plans falling through. These are all perfectly sound assumptions. I propose instead of greed or even self-preservation, there was another motivator--something else Iago desired but still had yet to attain. Perhaps not.  
Leaving that particular topic, a brief interlude. Whether Iago did or did not desire something different than that which the audience was led to believe, the events of the play only ever suggested that Iago was a villain. However, neither Iago nor Othello were ever truly villains. Iago was villainous for the entirety of the work--he manipulated without consideration of others, but, what allows him to avoid the label of a 'villain' could very well be the interpretation of the audience. We know why he does such evil deeds: jealousy, and love even. Why then should he be a villain, for simply trying to achieve his goals in a sneaking way, when many are familiar with his feelings of frustration? He was surely the puppeteer, and he did cause the deaths of this tragedy. But was that his motivation? No. He didn't wish Othello to kill Desdemona; he opposed it. Until he indeed was afforded what he desired. The tragedy of the play lies within the fact that such extremes lead to consequences thus.  


Those extremes, the gap between Othello and Iago, but also the numerous parallels, are in essence what proves that neither was completely good or evil. In the same way that Iago had been seen the majority of the play, "honest Iago, good Iago," Othello had lived. In the way which Othello was seen as brutish and became such, Iago became similarly vile. They both were in the wrong at some (various in Iago's case) points, which ultimately led to a body count including Othello himself. Iago and Othello were united in this; Iago bound truly to Othello as a servant was to a master by his love for the Moor. Why, one could deny such a proposition as love and put Iago's actions to mere greed. But why then did he not desire Othello's position as general? He loved Othello, and truly desired to serve Othello directly. His desire was not hindered by the promotion of Michael Cassio, no. It was fueled by this happening. Jealousy of not being the the right hand-man when he so truly loved Othello was his motivator. Perhaps he even wanted Othello to recognize and appreciate his devotion. This argument is strengthened by Iago's short line, "I am your own forever," which was only moments after his promotion to lieutenancy. Barring romantic meaning in the saying, Iago seems to have nothing else to say about this--no soliloquy to tell the audience of further plans. He seems for the first time in the entire work to be completely sincere (or you could least interpret it that way). Why must he say so, when Othello trusts him wholly? Why would he? Again, a display of his devotion and his desire to serve Othello, whom he loved.

**Author's Note:**

> Perhaps I find themes about Love too easily in tragedies or stories alike. Nonetheless they never fail to capture me.  
> As well perhaps I feel this system of love akin to that of Fight Club which I realize makes little sense. But tilt your head and squiiiiint and maybe it won't sound like the ramblings of a lunatic.


End file.
